desoto1939

EARL: THE ROD THAT MOVES THE CHOKE BUTTERFLY MIGHT BE TOO LONG. sEE IF YOU CAN GET SOMEONE TO TAKE A MEASUREMENT OF THEIRS AND THEN COMPARE THE ONE ON YOUR CAR. GLAD TO SEE THAT YOU GOT SOME ANSWERS TO THE CORRECT POSITION. oN MY 39 DESOTO THE CHOKE IS BEHIND THE CARB. nOT AN EXPERT BUT THERE ARE SOME GREAT MEMBERS THAT CAN ASSIST. RICH HARTUNG DESOTO1939@AOL.COM

be very careful when using starter fluid down the carb. You need to make sure that the car starts Whne the starter fluid is sucked into the cylinders and it has no fired up the starter fluid ask as a solvent to wash dowen the oil on the cylinder walls. So if you did not get the car started and then left it for a few days then you have bare rings against the cylinder wall on the next try. So try it again until you get the engine eto fire over. rich Hartung Desoto1939@aol.com

According to my autolite catalog: 1946-48 C38 6 cyl useuses the autolite Vacuum Advance VC-2082R Fit thes following years: Chry 41-42 and 46-48 Desoto same Dodge 41-42 and 46-50 Fargo 42 and 46-47 Hudson 48-50 Ply 41-50 Hope this helps Rich HArtung Desoto1939@aol.com

I prefer the gates model that has the sealed beaing instead of the old bronze two bushings the bushings are the part that goes bad when the get out of round because of the impleer shaft. To rebuild you can call Art Gould in Upper NY. If you look at PartsGeeks .com com you can get a new wp for around 70 dollar. They use the gates wp and I called Gates and they switched over to all sealed WP for our cars. The original wp that you have in your probably was replaced at one point so you might not have the original Wp that came with the car. If you are having your car jusdge they do not look to determne if original only if it look period correct. Rich Hartung Desoto1939@aol.com

sounds as if you have the chrome metal welting already on the car. The metal would have been chrome plated or now can be stainless steel with fiber material that is sandwiched between the fender and the body. You have to cut notches in the proper location to put the fender bolts through and to also aid in bending the metal to conform to the shape of the fender. Rich Hartung

The old style cloth welting has the raised bead and sticks up between the fender and the body. The problem with the cloth style is that is will suck up moisture and then you get rust-out along the edge where the fender meets the body panel. When I did my 39 Desoto I used the vinyl or plastic fender welting in black, 1 it will not absorb water. 2 when the polish gets on the plastic it can be wiped off, the cloth will leave a stain. 3 the plastic acts as an anti-squeak between the fender and the body of the car. Note that the fender welting is not painted the color of the car. The only official painting or dying the color of the car was done as a factory option on the Airflows. When I was judging at the 2015 National Desoto convention on of the 1936 Desoto Coupe Airflows was a Grand National AACA winner and Airflow national winner. I noticed that the welting was the same color as the car. I asked the owner about this coloring and he informed me of the information that I posted above. It was a factory option that the welting would be dyed the color of the car. Also some cars have the option of having the chrome metal welting so you would have to look in your parts book t determine if that was a factory option for your car. Rich Hartung Desoto1939@aol.com

Frank, I have been in the hobby for 25+ years. I was not questioning the use of the machine to cut gaskets. What I was trying to say is that to just make a single gasket or a couple of others then the cost of 200+ dollars is cost prohibitive. Yes his wife had the machine because of her scrapbooking or other craft making. So there isa double us for it in his house. But for me to just go buy the machine and wait for it I could purchase a gasket or go to the local swap meets and get them in bulk, not saying that they will be there but 200+ to make a single gasket is costly. As you might know I collect and scan automotive catalogs that cover the 30- 50's cars and trucks. This information is helpful when search for parts and also permits me to validate the parts that a vendor might be selling. So I understand the cost of buying things for the hobby. I am not trying to put down this gentleman or the use of the tool but just thinking out of the box on the cost and the return on investment. So you could also say the same about the catalogs that I collect. Rich HArtung Desoto1939@aol.com

That is great but when is the break even time and how many gaskets do you plan to make for your car. rich hartung

You could possible take the MC out from under the car. Yes there isa flange that the w two bolts hold the MC to the frame. I know you do not want to take out the floor mat, but it will be easier to get to the linkage and the MC. Since the MC is attached to the frame everything would be right at your finger tips. I have the 39 Desoto and have the same MC and this is th ebest way to get to it. Also you then get the chance to lubricate the pivot rod and all the linkage. Keeping the grease fits and the moving parts well lubed is important. Also with the floor out you can check the trans and emergeny brake band. Rich Hartung Desoto1939@aol.com

1939 Desoto Differential Information 4.1 to 1 All except 7 pass sedan and limo wo overdrive 663442 4.3 to 1 all except 7 pass, sedan and limo with overdrive 663456 4.3 to 7 pass. sedan and limo wo overdrive 666880 4.56 to 1 7 -pass sedan and limo with overdrive 697311 4.78 to 1 Export to La Paz Bolivia all except 7 pass sedan and limo 663649 4.89 to 1 Export to La Paz Bolivia 7 pass sedan and limo 670577 Rich Hartung found this in my 39 Desoto Parts book Desoto1939@aol.com

I do know that my 39 Desoto has the 4.11 rear and this was a factory rear that is still in the car. Rich HArtung

DO not feel bad. I had pulled the distributor on my 39 Desoto to replace the breaker plate assembly. HAd the blocked marked with a reference point and also on the body of the Dizzy for the rotor. All set to go. put the dizzy back in and it felt that it had hit the slot in the oil pump. locked down the dizzy and connected the Vacuum Advance. Got into the car and it would not fire up at all. HAd the help of a friend. Pulled the cap off the dizzy I was then in the car cranking the engine we noticed that the rotor was not moving. First thought was a broken dizzy shaft. Loosened the hold down nut on the dizzy. Found out that the slot end was not all the way into the oil put slot. I had hit the slot on an angle and it felt as if it was in the slot. reset the dissy into the slot tried to fire it up again and still nothing. I was now out by 180 degrees. Reset it again in the correct orientation and it fired right up. So moral is Stupid is as Stupid Does.. The simple thing will get you all the time. But it was a good learning experience for me. DUH and was scratching my head a lot on this one. Rich Hartung desoto1939@aol.com

Rich HArtung, I have a 1939 Desoto with the bias ply tires the goodyear tire that has the ridges on the side wall and they are white wall.

I had contacted Chrysler Historical about my 39 Desoto to get all of the build information. They will send you the build sheet and any info they have on the car solong as you can provide the certificate of ownership. They can not provide you with the names of the people that purchased the car. That would have been retained by the individual dealership. They can tell you the date when the car came off the assembly line and to what dealership it was delivered to. So hopefully the old original certificate of registration might have the name of the original owner. This is going to be a real search but you might get lucky. Rich Hartung Desoto1939@aol.com

I have a wall mounted dip stick display with various dip sticks on it I can take a picture and post the display. Rich Hartung Desoto1939@aol.com

I think you have the wrong rear wheel cylinders in your car. The 39 Plymouth uses the same rear cyclinders as my 39 Desoto. According to my EIS brake catalog they should be RR ew6128 and Lr 6137 and you do not have the brass coupler the brake line screw directly inot he back of the wheel cylinder. I have the eis catalog on CD and all of the information that you would need to know about the brakes for your car. Contact me: Rich HArtung Desoto1939@aol.comi

Do not use a grease gun it will put tooooo much grease behindg the bearing and then force grease out the seal into the backing plate and then onto the brake shoes. Thke a small amount of grease and new grease is ok about a thumb sise and then push the grease into the hole do this maybe twice then put the bolt back in. Over greasing will cause issues. It should tell you in your service manual. Rich Hartung desoto1939@aol.com

You might have to make a new brake line to the new wheel cylinder. You will not need the brass connection piece that you are showing in your pictures. The brake line need to be a double flare and the flared brass nut end should screw right into the hole in the back of the wheel cylinder. If the brake pedal did travel back to the floor that mean that you might have also lost some brake fluid. and you will not possibly have air in the lines. But if you are replacing the lines and rubber parts and rebuilding the braking system you will have to re-bleed the entire system after it is all reassembled. Are you using Dot3/4 or going Dot 5 silicone? Rich Hartung

Ok here we go to take all of the guess work out of the proper cable and proper ends to use. I have a copy of the MOPAR Cables - Terminals Fittings and Fuses. This has been scanned as a PDF document is available on CD. this covers the Ply, dodge, Chrysler, Desoto and Dofde trucks from 1928 to 1940 Also in the middle of the catalog is a picture of 40 Plymouth that shows the typical wire and the guage and from what spoo lthe waire would have come from off the shelf. If interested then contact me. I can not officially offer to sell the catalog on this part of the forum but contact me and we can talk. Rich HArtung Desoto1939@aol.com cell 484-431-8157 home 610-630-9188

Plymouth: you might be right about the old wire overall thickness when the stranded wire was used. But I would think that a 14 gage wire in our modern day would be capable to carry the load of a 14 gage wire from the 30 and up. The number of strands or total number of individual wires that are combined into a single wire would be great to know but the electrical current if I remember correctly is only being carried on the outer sides of the stranded wire. So to get a large or more stranded wire will cost more so I guess we have to use what is available right now. If I am incorrect please feel free to explain. I am using the modern wire and do not have any issues with the modern wire carrying the appropriate currents. Rich Hartung desoto1939@aol.com

Yes they will work but the new crimp style witht he blue, yellow or colored plastic sleeve is not correct your the older vintage car and trucks. Yes you can crip the wires but the best is to solder the wires into the proper connectors and then get some shrink tubing and the cover over the wire where it slips into the connector. This is if you want it to look correct like the original looking wire harness. Most of the connector that you can get from Rhode Island have the old sytle and also the old style connectors and the various sizes that you will need to do a complete job

Earl: The wire might look good to the eye on the inside of the car, but remember that the cloth covering is now 64 years old. When I touched mine and the wires on the inside the cloth covering was crumbling off the wire on my 39 Desoto. So If replace the outside wire in the engine compartment or were ever else do the whole job just to be safe. Just my two cents on this subject. An electrical fire can ruin a nice car and then you will kick yourself for not doing the complete job. As Ben Franklin said a stitch in time save nine. Rich HArtung Desoto1939@aol.com

In your car there are various gages of wire that run from 10, 12, 14 and 16 guage. 16 gage is the thinnest wire that was used. I would suggest that you use and upgrade to at least 14 gage on any wire that was an original 16. This way you have more wire to carry the necessary current. As some have stated you can buy color coded cloth wire witht he proper color and the appropriate strickers in the cloth covering. Rhode Island wire is good and I have used them. You can get as an example a correct color with striker that would have been a 16 gage wire but they have the same color and sticker in a 14 gage. This way no one know the difference when looking at the wire but you do. The other question is are you looking to have your car Jusged at AACA events and other major car shows in which the judges are looking over the car with a fine tooth comb? If so then you would need to get the correct color and stiker setup. If you are doing a driver than you can use modern plastic covered wire fro a NAPA or AutoZone. FYI The cloth covered wire that people are using is also a plastic covered wire with the cloth covering pulled over the wire. This is beeter than the old wire because they just used the cloth without the plastic coating. So you need to decide what direction you are headed, BUT always purchase quality parts and wire do not be cheap on this area. This is what makes the car run on the wiring. Rich HArtung Desoto1939@aol.com

they look to be 11 inch shoes if so then I know they will fir my 39 Desoto rich hartung

here is your official answere from Mu EIS Brake catalog The Lining should be number 1137 which is used by all manufacturers drum diameter 10 inches width 2 inches thickness 3/16 length 7 5/8 2 of these and 10 1/4 two of these use the 4-5 rivet and need 28 rivets if using riveted lining So take a tape measure and measure the entire arc of the replacement shoe I think he sent you 11 inch and not 10 inch brake shoes. These same linings were used on Desoto 1937 1936 Ply 1939 P8 P7 ans some other Plymouth I have a full EIS and Wagner catalog and also EIS brake cable catalog that will provide you will al information. These are on CD and the catalog is great to have as reference to keep your car running. These catalogs are getting harder to find just because of the age and being paper. Contact me if you want a set. Rich Hartung Desoto1939@aol.com home 610-630-9188